A 75-meter luxury sailboat named "Bayesian," worth 30 million pounds and owned by British tech mogul Mike Lynch, sank off the coast of Sicily near Porticello after being struck by a violent storm or waterspout.
There were 22 people on board, including 12 passengers and 10 crew members. Among the passengers were Lynch, his wife Angela Bacares, their 18-year-old daughter Hannah, colleagues like James Emslie, his wife Charlotte Golunski, and their one-year-old daughter Sophia.
Fifteen people, including Lynch's wife and Golunski with her baby Sophia were rescued. One crew member (believed to be the chef) was found dead. Eight survivors, including the baby, were hospitalized but in stable condition. Six individuals, including Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, are still missing.
Jonathan Bloomer, the International chairman of Morgan Stanley is among those missing, according to The Guardian.
Lynch, co-founder of Autonomy and Invoke Capital, and a graduate of the University of Cambridge, was recently acquitted in a significant fraud trial in the U.S. related to the $11 billion sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. The yacht trip was meant to celebrate his legal victory.
Lynch's net worth decreased from $1.08 billion to $649 million as of May this year due to legal battles. The name "Bayesian" refers to a statistical theory involving probabilities.
Rescue divers are attempting to reach the hull of the sunken Bayesian, with investigations into the cause of the sinking ongoing.
Rescue operations involve divers, coast guard ships, and a helicopter. Italian authorities are surprised that the missing passengers have not been found yet.
The Bayesian was one of the top 5% longest yachts worldwide and was on a luxury cruise from Rotterdam, having stopped at Milazzo before the accident near Porticello. It was known for its elegance, size, high aluminum mast, and design awards.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Washington Post, The Guardian, Independent, FT, CNN, Infobae, La Vanguardia, Yomiuri, El Siglo de Torreón, Economic Times, Times of India, SMH, ABC, Informazione, Il Messaggero, Morgenpost, Business Insider, TBS News, Newsit, Express, Today, US News, Daily Mail, NBC New York, Reuters, Telegraph.